Once In A Lifetime
by Gina Moriarty
Summary: Two girls, Gina and Lianne, win the opportunity to meet their favourite band, Big Time Rush.
1. Chapter 1

Gina was sitting at her computer, mindlessly scrolling through nonsensical tweets when she came across one from her favourite band, Big Time Rush.

_Want a chance to meet us in London? Take this quiz and you'll be entered into our prize draw!_

Eyes widening with excitement, Gina quickly clicked the link that had followed the tweet. Looking at the page it led her to, she flicked her eyes over the questions listed. Some of them were a bit obscure, but still – it would be a chance!

She clicked all the answers that she thought were the right ones, entered her details and submitted the whole thing. An email arrived a few moments later, stating that her name had been successfully put into those for the prize draw.

_Biddy-boop!_

An instant messaging box appeared, announcing that she had a new message from Lianne. Gina smiled as she recognised her best friend's name.

_Buba-Li: Heyy!_

_Gina-Gin: Hey yourself._

_Buba-Li: You up to much?_

_Gina-Gin: Not really – just entered a competition to meet BTR though! Imagine if I got it! AHH!_

_Buba-Li: AHHHH! That would be AMAZING._

_Gina-Gin: I know, right!_

_Buba-Li: Wanna meet up? I'm so bored!_

_Gina-Gin: Sure thing. I'll see if I can borrow Dad's car. One sec._

Gina left her computer briefly to go and persuade her father to let her borrow the car – she had a licence as well as insurance, she just needed to know if he was going to use it any time soon.

_Gina-Gin: He's not using it. I'll pick you up in about fifteen minutes, 'kay?_

_Buba-Li: Sounds good! See ya in a bit! Xx_

_Gina-Gin: xx_

Gina grabbed her shoes and practically forced them onto her feet. Running downstairs with her phone in one pocket and some money in the other, she snatched the keys and left the house. Once she was in the car, she rifled through the glove compartment to grab Big Time Rush's album, _Elevate_. Smiling, she put it in the CD player and blasted it as loud as she dared.

She drove to Lianne's house to find her waiting outside.

"About time you got here," she said, climbing into the passenger seat. "It looks like it's gonna pour it down."

"And your lovely hair would be ruined," teased Gina.

"Exactly. Where are we going, anyway?"

Gina shrugged. "Your choice."

Lianne thought for a moment. "The theatre."

"Alright. To the theatre we go." Shifting to the proper gear, Gina drove off in the direction of their favourite haunt.

They arrived at the small, run-down theatre. It was a dual purpose one, so both plays and films could be shown there. Despite having a _No Entry_ sign on the front doors, Gina and Lianne pushed them open.

The musty smell filled their noses as Gina flicked the lights on. The two of them made their way to the projection room, which they had modified slightly so that it would play DVDs.

"What d'you want to watch?"

"I'm in the mood for a rom-com. _Love Actually_?" suggested Gina.

Lianne wrinkled her nose. "We've seen that too much recently."

"Hmm, okay. How about _The Proposal_? You get to see most of Ryan Reynolds' naked body…"

"Yum."

"Exactly."

They put the DVD in, and let it load the menu. Gina reached into the fridge they had installed and brought out a couple of cokes, while Lianne opened a cupboard in search of snacks.

"Good thing we always keep this place stocked," commented Lianne, taking a seat in the theatre room. Gina sat next to her.

"Good thing they haven't cut off the power yet," replied Gina. She picked up the remote and pressed play, and the movie began.

Halfway through the movie, Gina's phone started buzzing silently in her pocket. Lianne paused the movie as she answered it.

"Hello? … Yes, that's me … I've what? … You're joking … Wow, this – this is amazing! … Yeah, send them as soon as! … Thank you so much!"

Lianne listened intently until Gina hung up.

Looking dazed, Gina stared at her phone before looking up at her best friend.

"I won."

"Won what?"

"The competition."

"Competition?"

"The one to go see Big Time Rush!"

Lianne's mouth hung open. "Really?"

"Apparently so!" Gina stared at her phone again, then back at Lianne. "There's two spaces. Wanna come?"

"No. I'd rather stay at home and do coursework. OF COURSE I WANT TO COME!" Lianne replied.

After a moment of silence, the two fans squealed happily and hugged.

"WE'RE GOING TO MEET BIG TIME RUSH!"


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next couple of days, Gina eagerly awaited the post each day, rifling through the envelopes before her parents could even get to them. Eventually, on the fourth day of waiting, there was an envelope addressed to her.

Giggling happily, she rushed off to her room to open it.

Inside was a letter detailing where and when she should be in London, but at that moment in time, Gina couldn't read it properly, she was too excited. She grabbed her phone and sent a text to Lianne.

_The letter came through! AHH! – GH_

The reply came moments later: _OMG! We need to meet up so I can read it! – LR_

_Dad's got the car, meet at the park? – GH_

_Kay. See you soon! – LR_

Half an hour later, the two girls were sitting on the swings at the park that was roughly halfway between their houses.

"_Dear Miss Gina Harkness,_" Gina read aloud. "_We are pleased to inform you that you have won the opportunity to meet Big Time Rush! In order to take full advantage_… blah blah blah…" Gina looked through the letter to find what she needed.

"Here! _You will meet BTR at the London Eye at 3pm, you will attend dinner with them at the restaurant of your choice (see options below), before going to the Hotel Populaire where both you and the band will be staying. The next day's activities will be up to you, but please remember that the band will leave you at 3pm._"

"That gives us a total of twenty four hours with them," commented Lianne.

Gina nodded. "Look here," she pointed at a sentence on the letter. "We've got a week to prepare ourselves."

They shared a look.

"OH GOD WHAT ARE WE GOING TO WEAR?" they yelled at each other, suddenly panicked.

After a moment's silence, they started to laugh.

"Oh, Lord," giggled Lianne. "We sound so… so…"

"Retarded?" supplied Gina, and the two slipped into laughter again.

"But seriously," said Lianne, getting her giggles under control. "What are we going to pack? I want to look good, but I don't want to look like I'm trying too hard either."

"I know what you mean," replied Gina. "It's gonna be tough choosing what to wear. Good thing is that we're only there for two days, so we won't be needing much."

"True."

"If you want, I'll come round at some point, you can try a load of your outfits on, and I'll give you advice." Gina checked her watch. "It can't be today, I promised Mum we'd watch some Heston stuff together."

"That's fine. You can come round tomorrow, and I'll come round the day after and help you."

"Sounds good," Gina smiled. "I've got to head off now anyway, lunch will be ready soon." She slid off the swing. "See you tomorrow," she said, bumping knuckles with Lianne.

"Not if I see you first," joked Lianne, sliding off her swing. They walked off in different directions, giving a quick wave before the other went out of sight.


	3. Chapter 3

It was the day of the meet, and Gina and Mrs Harkness were waiting at the station for Lianne.

"Are you sure you've got everything?" asked Mrs Harkness, for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

"Jeez, Mum," moaned Gina, rolling her eyes. "I'm nineteen for crying out loud, I'm certain I've got everything."

"Okay," submitted Mrs Harkness, still looking a little worried.

"Oh!" exclaimed Gina, pointing at a car. "There's Lianne!"

The car pulled up next to Gina and her mum, and Lianne grabbed her bag from the back seat before getting out.

"You better look after my daughter!" Lianne's mum called through the window to Gina.

"Mum…" groaned Lianne.

"Don't worry, Mrs Ryan," said Gina, "I'll keep her in eyesight all the time."

Satisfied, Mrs Ryan bade her daughter goodbye and drove off.

"Right," said Mrs Harkness. "You're train will be here in a few minutes, do you –"

"Yes, I have the train tickets," Gina answered, holding up the tickets. She gave one to Lianne. "I told you, I've got it covered."

Mrs Harkness sighed, a smile on her face. "Have a good weekend, girls. Don't get stabbed."

"You fill me with confidence," Gina said sarcastically, but she gave her a hug anyway. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye Mrs Harkness," said Lianne, also giving her a hug. The two teens passed through the barriers with their bags and made their way to the proper platform.

Standing there, Gina sighed. "This is it."

"I know."

Quietly, they squealed happily. "This is crazy," said Gina, a grin on her face.

"Totally mental," agreed Lianne.

Their train arrived and the two of them clambered on, putting their bags in the luggage rack above before taking their seats.

Gina took the next hour and a half as an opportunity to read some more of _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban_, even though she'd read it about three hundred times already. Lianne, on the other hand, had a look at the pocket sized map of London that her mum had given her, and planned the route to the London Eye.

They arrived at half one that afternoon, leaping off the train at London Victoria. The two of them hitched their bags on their shoulders, and quickly made their way to SubWay, wanting a semi-healthy lunch.

"How long will it take us to get to the London Eye?" Gina asked between bites of her sub.

"About half an hour," replied Lianne. "We've got some time to relax. Maybe sunbathe in the Jubilee Gardens?" she added, looking hopeful.

Gina rolled her eyes, but she was smiling. "How can I stop you from enjoying the sun? Especially when you look like that."

"This is England – any sun is a miracle, and I want to make the most of it."

When they had finished their meals, they walked through London and across Westminster Bridge before arriving at the London Eye and it's neighbouring park.

Removing her thin leather jacket, Lianne bundled it up into a makeshift pillow. She placed it on the grass before lying down and resting her head on it. "Mmm," she said, putting her aviators on. "Sun."

Gina had also put on her purple-framed sunglasses, and was sitting on the grass next to Lianne, and her black and purple hoodie was in her lap.

Lianne had chosen to wear an orange tank top with her black skinny jeans with her black and white Converse. Gina, meanwhile, wore a purple vest top with black three-quarter-lengths and her usual purple Converse.

After a while, Gina noticed a dark skinned woman walking up to different girls and asking them something before moving off.

"Hey," she said, nudging Lianne. "You think she's looking for us?" Gina asked, pointing at the woman.

Lianne shrugged. "Dunno. Let's go ask." She got up and stretched, grabbed her stuff and started walking towards her. Gina followed suit.

"Hey," said Lianne, reaching the woman. "You looking for someone?"

"Yes," said the woman, her accent American. "Someone called…" she checked her phone, "Gina Harkness."

"That's me," said Gina from next to Lianne. "Hello."

The woman broke into a smile. "Hi," she replied. "My name's Kelly Wainwright, the band are waiting in there." She pointed over to the ticket booth for the London Eye. "Follow me."

Gina and Lianne followed Kelly to the Eye, jumped the queue, and entered one of the Eye's pods.

"I'll go get the guys," said Kelly, who then left them there.

"Here goes," said Gina nervously.

"Here goes indeed."

A few moments later, Big Time Rush entered the pod. "Hi," they said in unison.

Gina and Lianne could do nothing except stare.


	4. Chapter 4

The four members of Big Time Rush watched awkwardly as the two girls they had just met stared at them.

After almost a minute of silence, the two turned to each other.

"Pinch me," they said to each other at the same time. Simultaneously, they pinched each other's arms. "Ow. Okay, not a dream." They turned back to the band. "Hi!"

"That," said Logan, pointing at them, "was creepy."

"Aw, thanks," smiled the shorter girl with purple hair.

"I don't think that was a compliment," said the taller girl, whose hair was blue-black.

The shorter girl shrugged. "And?"

"So," interrupted Kendall, bringing the girls' attention to him, "what're your names?"

"Gina Harkness," said the purple-haired girl.

"I'm Lianne Ryan," said the tall girl.

"Oh hey, we're moving," noted Gina, staring outside the pod. Everyone else followed her gaze and could see that they were moving, albeit slowly.

"This is weird," said Logan quietly to his band mates.

"I know," agreed James. "Neither of them are jumping on me." He brought a mirror out of his blazer pocket. "Is there something wrong with my hair?"

"Not what I meant," said Logan, rolling his eyes.

"No, but I see what you're getting at," said Carlos. "They're not acting like typical fangirls."

"We can hear you, you know," said Lianne, her hands on her hips and an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, we _are_ standing right here," added Gina, her arms folded across her chest.

"Besides, we pride ourselves…" Lianne started.

"…on not being obsessed and screaming fangirls," finished Gina.

"Do you usually do that?" asked Kendall. "The sentences thing?"

The girls shrugged. "It happens," they said together. There was a pause in the conversation that slowly started to become awkward.

"So… uh…" started Carlos, sensing the building awkwardness. "What do you guys do?"

Gina raised an eyebrow. "I'm studying Screenwriting for Film and TV at university," she replied.

"You're at university?" blurted Logan, looking surprised.

"I think what he means is, uh, you don't look old enough to be at uni," Kendall said quickly.

Gina laughed. "I get that a lot. People think she's older than me most of the time," she said, pointing at Lianne.

"You're younger than her?" asked James, his mirror back in his blazer.

Lianne's face went a light pink. "Yeah. By about two years. I'm 17, just finished my first year at college."

"Doing what?" asked Carlos.

"Animal Management. It's fun, but it's hard work."

"Cool."

The awkward silence returned again.

"How long does this last?" Gina whispered to Lianne.

"Half an hour," she replied.

Gina resisted the urge to face-palm herself. She needed to think of something to do, and quick; she knew she wouldn't be able to bear thirty minutes of awkward silence.


	5. Chapter 5

After a few minutes of thinking, as well as awkward silence, Gina finally gave in to the inevitable.

"This silence is getting a bit too annoying," she complained in the middle of said silence. Lianne, who was sitting on the floor next to her, was nodding.

"Is there anything we can do for twenty minutes?" she asked.

Gina smirked. "Well, I know one thing, but that's not really appropriate."

Lianne looked at Gina for a second before realisation dawned on her face. "You are so dirty minded!" she half-yelled, smacking a giggling Gina on the arm. The band watched on in amusement.

"Do you usually beat her up?" asked Logan.

She shrugged. "Only if I feel she deserves it."

"I never deserve it," protested Gina. Lianne smacked her again.

"Going back to the original point," said Kendall, "what can we do for twenty minutes?"

"Ooh!" exclaimed Carlos, getting an idea. "We could teach them the moves to one of our songs?"

James, Kendall and Logan looked at Carlos as if surprised that he had a good idea.

"I can't dance," said Gina, eyes wide.

"Yes you can," Lianne said, raising an eyebrow.

Gina rolled her eyes. "Ballroom dancing, yes. Not actual dancing."

"Kendall can't dance either," said James, earning himself a glare from the aforementioned person. "Yet he still manages."

"Put it this way," said Lianne. "Do _you_ have any better ideas?"

"No…" sighed Gina. After a pause, she submitted. "Fine. Just don't expect me to be very good."

Gina got up from her seat on the floor, as did Lianne, who was looking through her phone for a song.

"So what dance do you want to learn?" asked James.

"Hold on a sec." Lianne continued to look through her songs. "Ooh, this one?" She showed the screen to Gina, who raised her eyebrows.

"Could be worse," she commented. Lianne took that as a 'yes'.

"We want to learn 'Till I Forget About You," said Lianne. "I've seen the music video, and it seems easy enough."

The boys laughed, and the girls shared a confused look.

"You're not being taught by Mr X," Logan explained, and the four of them formed an X with their arms. Lianne and Gina didn't look any less confused.

"Let's get started," said James, seeing their unchanged expressions.

For the first couple of minutes, the guys showed Gina and Lianne the dance moves, performing to the song on Lianne's phone. Once they had finished, they began to go through the first moves with the girls.

After five minutes, Gina groaned in frustration. "I can't get it right!" she complained, sitting on the bench thing in the middle of the pod.

Kendall sat down next to her. "I thought you were doing great," he said, trying to console her. Lianne shooed the rest of the band away from their conversation.

"Liar."

He raised his eyebrows. "You're doing better than I was when we first learnt it."

Gina looked at him. "Really?"

"Really really." He gave her a smile and put his arm around her shoulders to give her a small half-hug, making her blush a little. "If you want, I'll give you extra guidance. Gina nodded, her cheeks still pink. Kendall, amused by her blushing, stood. "Come on," he said. "From the top."

Kendall worked through the different moves with Gina, adjusting her posture every now and then. After a few more minutes, he stood back and looked at her.

"What?" asked Gina, a little disconcerted.

"I think I know the problem."

There was a pause. "What?" asked Gina again, this time more annoyed than disconcerted.

"You're too stiff."

Gina giggled.

Kendall shook his head in amusement. "You really do have a dirty mind."

She shrugged. "Not my fault."

"You need to loosen up a bit," Kendall said, returning to the original point. "Relax your muscles some, it'll help."

"I'll give it a go," replied Gina. Kendall watched as she took a few deep breaths with her eyes closed. When she opened her eyes and nodded, Kendall replayed the song from the beginning, watching as Gina danced along. When she got to the part where she didn't know the rest of the moves, she stopped.

Lianne and the band applauded her, and Gina bowed pompously.

"Better?" she asked, looking at Kendall.

"Much," he answered with a smile.


	6. Chapter 6

By the end of the pod ride, Lianne and Gina knew about half of the moves to the song, and were very proud of themselves (especially Gina). Kelly met the six of them after they disembarked from the London Eye.

"Good time?" she asked them, smiling. A variation of "Yeah!" answered her question. "Good." She started to walk away from the Eye, gesturing for them to follow. "Now, you've got some free time before your reservations at the Luna Restaurant. We're changing a little from our plan, so we're going to go to the Hotel Populaire now, and sign you guys in so we can avoid the hassle later."

Kelly led the six of them around the corner into a small road. Sitting in the centre of it was the BTR Tour Bus. Gina and Lianne gasped at the sight of it.

"Wow," was all Lianne could say, her eyes widening. Gina couldn't even manage that.

"Cool, huh?" asked Carlos, who was beaming at their expressions. The girls could only nod. The band clambered on, closely followed by their visitors. The girls didn't even bother to try and hide their wonder at the interior. Kelly had joined the driver in his cabin.

"Gina and Lianne," announced Kendall. The other three joined in with saying, "Welcome to the Big Time Tour Bus!"

Gina grabbed a pillow from the bed next to her ("Hey!" complained Logan – she figured it was his bed) and chucked it at Kendall. "We know what it's called!" she said, giggling.

Kendall threw the pillow back at her, but she ducked and it hit Lianne in the face just as she screamed. Gina laughed.

"Oh, that is _so___not fair!" growled Lianne, smacking Gina with the pillow.

Gina dodged Lianne's next smack, grabbed a pillow from another bed, and proceeded to retaliate.

The band watched on in amusement for a few moments before three of them grabbed some extra pillows and joined in. Carlos delved into one of the closets and placed his helmet on his head before he jumped into the fray, tapping it twice beforehand for good luck.

After fifteen minutes of fighting, all six people were splayed in various positions all over the bus.

"Ugh," complained Gina. "I need to work out."

Lianne attempted to smack her arm, but she was too far away. "Logan!"

"What?"

"Smack her for me."

Logan smacked Gina's ankle.

"What was that for?" asked Gina, pouting.

"Because you don't need to work out," stated Lianne. Gina opened her mouth to protest, but Lianne cut her off, "And if you say you do, I will not hesitate to stab you."

There was a pause before Gina asked, "What with?"

"My teeth, if I can't find anything."

"That's called biting, not stabbing."

"Logan!"

"Got it!" Logan smacked Gina's ankle again.

"Guys, we're at the hotel." Kelly's voice resounded through the bus through the intercom. "Be outside in two minutes."

Groaning, everyone pulled themselves to their feet. Lianne and Gina grabbed their bags before hopping off, closely followed by the guys (whose stuff would be taken in later).

Kelly stood waiting for them outside the five star hotel. "This," she said with a smile, "is the Hotel Populaire. It has many features including a spa with a pool and a Michelin star restaurant."

"I'm so glad I brought my bikini," Lianne whispered to Gina.

"I know," grinned Gina.

Kelly led the group inside and left them as she went to sign them all in. She came back a few minutes later with six keycards.

"These ones are for you," she said, handing Gina two of them. Gina gave one to Lianne. "You two are in room 407. The guys will be in the rooms either side of you." She handed the band their keycards as well. "Go and do whatever, I'll meet you guys here at half six to go to the Luna Restaurant." Kelly gave them one last smile before leaving them to their own devices.

The six of them went to the lift and ascended to the fourth floor.

"What do you two want to–" James started to ask as they stood outside 407.

"POOL!" chorused Gina and Lianne.

"Um, okay." James shared a worried look with the rest of the band. "Meet there in ten?"

"See you in a bit," said Lianne. Gina gave them a quick salute as a way of temporary farewell as the girls entered their room. As soon as the door was closed, they scrambled to find their swim outfits. They got changed as quick as they could – Lianne into a black bikini, and Gina into a black and turquoise halter-neck one-piece.

"You are so gonna knock James' socks off with that," Gina complimented, adding a wink.

"If he's wearing socks to the pool, I'm worried."


	7. Chapter 7

Lianne and Gina made their way down to the pool, towels in hand, and chatting happily. The pool room was completely empty, so the two of them took complete advantage of the bubbling Jacuzzi.

"Mmm," said Gina, sinking into the water. "This is nice."

"I know," agreed Lianne, who was already seated.

"When I'm a rich and famous writer," said Gina. "I'm having a Jacuzzi."

"I'm using it all the time."

"You'll get pruney."

"…Okay, not all the time."

The boys made their way in, all dressed in surfer shorts. "Hey," said Logan, giving a wave. Lianne and Gina waved back, not wanting to leave the warmth of the tub.

Carlos jumped into the pool, not wanting to waste time on pleasantries. James shrieked as his hair got splashed. The girls couldn't help but giggle at him.

"Dude, you're about to go swimming," said Kendall, raising an eyebrow. Carlos pulled Logan in, making him yell. James pouted and made his way over to the Jacuzzi tub and got in.

His eyes widened at the sensation of bubbles tickling his skin. "I love Jacuzzis," he stated.

"Duh," said Lianne, not seeming bothered that there was a topless James Diamond next to her. Gina smirked, though – she knew her best friend too well, and she could tell that Lianne was ecstatic about this particular fact.

"Well," said Gina. "That's enough soaking for me." She stood up and stepped out of the tub carefully. "I want to get some actual swimming done before dinner." She sent a subtle wink to Lianne before jumping into the pool and splashing the other three band members.

"She is such a child," mused Lianne as she watched Gina get into a water fight.

"And you aren't?" James asked jokingly.

"Of course not," scoffed Lianne sarcastically, making James laugh.

"Ahh! No fair!" screamed Gina as the guys teamed up on her. "Three against one! Three against ONE!" They pounced on her, and the four of them went underwater.

"We're not much better," commented James. "But we like it that way."

Lianne nodded. "More fun." She splashed him with the Jacuzzi water, making him yelp in surprise.

"Ohh, you are so going down," threatened James, but Lianne cut him off with another splash, and when he could finally see, she'd escaped the tub.

"Only if you can catch me!" she yelled, jumping into the pool. James chased after her.

The two water fights eventually melded into one, and became a free-for-all instead of girls-vs-guys. An hour later, Lianne and Gina bade the guys farewell to go and wash the chlorine out of their hair.

They raced back to their room and washed each other's hair, which took about ten minutes each. As they began to change into the dresses they had brought, Gina started to hum 'Till I Forget About You. Lianne joined in and soon enough the two of them were singing at the top of their lungs and dancing around the room in their dresses.

At the end of the song, they burst into laughter that nearly made them cry. Once they had calmed down, they applied their make-up and there was just enough time for Lianne to straighten Gina's hair and for Gina to curl Lianne's.

Gina was wearing a light green short sleeved dress that was cinched in at the waist, and the skirt skimmed her hips and flowed out, reaching just above her knees. Added to this, she wore brown knee-high lace up heeled boots, and a cropped brown cardigan that only reached to her waist. Lianne was wearing a black dress that had two necklines, one that drooped and one that covered her chest. The skirt of the dress was tight around her hips and legs, reaching about mid-thigh. She wore a fitted black blazer and black heels.

After exiting the lift in the lobby and seeing the guys' faces did they realise that they had dressed to impress.


	8. Chapter 8

"You look… wow," stuttered Logan. "Both of you… wow."

"Thanks," said Lianne with a smile. Gina could only blush a bright red colour.

"Come on guys," said Kendall, who had to practically tear his eyes from Gina. "Our limo's outside."

"Limo?" exclaimed both Lianne and Gina, the latter forgetting her shyness. The two of them ran outside to see a white stretch limo waiting patiently. "Oh. My. GOD!"

The band laughed at their excitement, and the six of them piled in. Carlos, Logan, Gina and Kendall sat on the seats that ran down the length of one side of the limo, leaving Lianne and James to occupy the two remaining seats at the back.

"This is so cool," said Gina, looking around the interior with wonder.

Lianne was peering at the bar opposite Gina. "I don't think there's any alcohol in this," she muttered, half to herself. "Damn."

"That's a shame," said Gina, shaking her head in disappointment. "It's always fun turning up to restaurants drunk. Especially if it's an upper class one."

"Hang on," said Logan, looking at Gina in confusion. "You've turned up to restaurants drunk?"

Gina nodded. "Mum wasn't too impressed at first, but she ended up drunk too, so I was saving time."

"You can get drunk before 21 here?" asked Carlos, leaning forward to see past Logan.

"Yep."

"Wish I'd known that before," James mused. Lianne and Gina looked at each other, then smirked evilly.

"I'm not sure I like that look," said Kendall, looking from one girl to the other.

"You'll learn to love it," said Lianne, patting him on the knee. Kendall remained sceptical.

Carlos was fiddling with the radio that was next to him when Busted's Thunderbirds Are Go started.

"WAIT!" yelled Lianne and Gina, making him freeze in the act of retuning. "I love this song!" they explained. The music began and the two girls rocked out to it, singing along as well.

At the end of the song, which had left everyone laughing, Logan said, "You guys sing well together." Gina went bright red and looked at her feet, a smile on her face, while Lianne thanked him. James glanced at Gina and raised an eyebrow at Lianne, silently asking about her reaction.

"She doesn't handle compliments well," she whispered. "She used to be a lot worse." James nodded in understanding.

They reached the Luna Restaurant, and the six of them exited the limo with gusto, as all were hungry and eager for food.

The starter was a lentil soup which Gina loved (though she said it would never beat her dad's soups), while the main was a steak with salad – Gina asked for it to be brought out blue, but they said they couldn't and that she had to deal with it being rare. She pouted all through the wait for it, but did agree that it was still really good steak.

"Why would you want it blue, anyway?" asked Logan, who was sitting next to her.

"I was in France with my mum this one time," said Gina, poking her steak and watching the juices escape. "We were at a restaurant and I wanted steak, and I asked for it rare. Apparently, rare means blue there." She smiled. "Best steak I've ever had."

"Sounds gross," said Lianne, making a face from the other side of Logan.

"Don't knock it until you've tried it," replied Gina, brandishing her fork at her best friend.

The dessert was a choice between _crème brûlée_ or sticky toffee pudding. Gina couldn't decide and ended up asking for both.

"How can you eat so much sweet stuff?" Carlos asked in wonder, staring at her two desserts.

Gina smiled. "I have a sweet tooth."

"A very sweet tooth," Lianne added. "It's amazing what she can eat without getting tooth ache." Gina blushed.

After the meal, Gina disappeared while the other five stayed seated, all too stuffed to move. She came back ten minutes later with two carrier bags.

"Shall we?" she asked, a smile on her face as she gestured to leave.

They followed her lead, thanking the waiting staff on the way out, and returning to the limo that was waiting for them.

"What's in here?" asked Kendall, peering into the carrier bags. "Wait. Is that…"

"Yep."

"What's in there?" asked the other three guys.

Kendall looked up at them, half amused and half worried. "Alcohol."


	9. Chapter 9

They returned to the hotel, and they all bundled into the room Logan and Carlos were sharing. Carlos moved the beds to the walls to make more room on the floor before they all sat in a circle, the bags of alcohol in the middle.

Gina delved into the bags and brought out the bottles of alcohol. She also brought out some plastic glasses and some plastic shot glasses.

"How much did you even get?" Lianne asked, staring at the collection.

"About… thirty pounds worth, I think," replied Gina with a shrug. She threw the carrier bags away. "So who wants to play a game?"

Though apprehensive at first, all four band members happily joined in with Lianne's suggestion of Never Have I Ever, which was interesting for everyone involved.

"Never have I ever had… a homosexual relationship," said Lianne after a moment's thought. The only person who drank was Gina, looking bashful as she did so.

"Really?" asked Carlos, staring at her.

Gina nodded. "It wasn't a serious one, it never went past kissing, so no naughty details for you." All the guys pouted and she laughed. "Okay, my turn. Never have I ever…"

And thus the game continued, each participant getting more intoxicated with each drink.

"I'm bored of this game," muttered Lianne, lying on the floor. "Can't we play something else?"

"Fine with me," replied Gina. "But you have to think of something to play."

"A'ight." Lianne sat up and thought for a few minutes. "How 'bout… I Know Something You Don't?"

"Never heard of it."

"How do we play it?" asked Logan, who seemed surprisingly sober.

"Well," said Lianne. "You go around the group and you tell the person on your right something you don't think they know. If they don't know it, they have to drink, and if they do, you drink instead."

"Seems simples," said James, grinning widely. "I go first?" he asked. Lianne shrugged, and wondered what he was going to say because she was sitting next to him.

James looked at her levelly. "You! Are pretty."

Lianne raised her eyebrows. "Drink up, bitch. I already knew that."

James' smile dropped into a pout, but he obediently took a shot. He turned to Kendall.

Kendall thought for a moment. "Your lucky comb is hidden under Carlos' bed."

"I wondered where that had gone!" James almost yelled. Then he realised that he had to drink again.

Logan looked at Kendall. "I'm pretty sure Lucy likes you."

Kendall's brow furrowed. "Lucy?"

"Yeah. Lucy Stone. The rock chick."

"Oh yeah, I know her." He looked at Logan. "Really?" Logan nodded, making Kendall smile a little as he took his drink.

And so the game went on, though Gina barely said a word after that particular comment. When she had passed two of her goes, she stood up and left without a word. Lianne tried to go after her, but she fell over and burst into giggles.

Realising nobody else would go due to their drunkenness, Kendall went instead.

Standing outside the girls' door, he knocked. Gina opened it a few moments later.

"What?" she said, looking unimpressed. Her eyes were red.

"Are you okay?"

"Absolutely spiffing. I just wanted to get some quiet time to myself while I drink water and eat bread, and if you don't want a hangover in the morning, I suggest you do the same. Good night."

She slammed the door, leaving Kendall in the corridor alone and even more confused.

He returned to his own room and sat on his bed, trying to think why Gina was so angsty. His brain, however, was too muddled from the alcohol and he couldn't come up with any answer.

Eventually, Kendall fell asleep on his bed, fully clothed and snoring.


	10. Chapter 10

Gina and Lianne watched, amused, as the band they admired groaned with pain as they descended to the breakfast lounge with hangovers. Logan, who had seemed the most sober the previous night, appeared to have the worst headache out of the four of them.

"How do you guys do this?" asked Carlos, who was without his helmet for once.

"Practice," chorused the girls with a grin.

"I'm not sure whether to laugh or be worried," stated James, eyeing the girls with concern. They continued to beam at him.

"You know what would be great?" asked Logan, clutching his head and looking irritated. "If you all shut up." He took a seat opposite Gina. "My head kills."

Gina solemnly held out some paracetamol for him. Logan took them with a grateful smile and swallowed them with some water. "I probably shouldn't have bought so much stuff," she said quietly. "I should've figured you'd all be lightweights."

"Ah come off it Gina," said Lianne. "They're gonna have to get used to drinking at some point, considering their chosen career path."

"That is true."

"Did you guys sleep okay, anyway?" asked Lianne.

"I guess, I don't really remember much," said James.

"So you don't remember all the sex we had?"

"All the WHAT?"

"Ow," said Logan.

Lianne was giggling. "I'm joking." James visibly relaxed. Gina rolled her eyes.

"I'm getting some breakfast," Gina said, getting up.

"I'll come with," said Kendall.

"I think I'll be fine," Gina said icily, her voice forcing Kendall to stay seated. He looked over to Lianne, confused, but she only shrugged. Lianne got up and followed her best friend.

"You okay?" she asked over the island that held the hot food. Gina was staring intently at the mushrooms and shrugged. "You shouldn't be so cold to him, you know. It'll make things awkward later." Gina shrugged again. "Come on, this is something we've both been dreaming about for ages, you're not gonna screw it up for us, are you?"

Gina finally looked up. "No," she said guiltily. "It's just… I thought that maybe, _maybe_, I'd have a chance with him. A tiny chance, sure, but still a chance."

"I know."

Gina scooped up some mushrooms onto the plate she was holding. "Can't have everything, I guess," she said with a sigh, but then she gave a smile. "They have pancakes."

"OH MY GOD!" Lianne rushed away to find the pancakes, leaving Gina chuckling to herself. After helping herself to some more food, she returned to their table. Lianne appeared a few moments later, pancakes stacked high on her plate.

The boys, groaning somewhat, also went to get their food, returning with an assortment of sweet and savoury. The six of them ate in companionable silence.

Kelly chose that moment to appear. "Hi guys!" she said cheerfully. The boys winced. "Woah, you look terrible. What ha-"

"Don't ask," interrupted Gina, not even looking up from her mushroom sandwich (the bread replaced with pancakes and the butter replaced with ketchup).

"Alright then. Have you decided what you want to do today?" she asked, slipping back into her cheerful tone.

"London Dungeons!" Lianne burst out. "I love that place, it's _so_ cool!"

"Sure," said Kelly, giving a nod. "I'll let the chauffer know that's where you want to go. You can leave whenever, just jump in and you can go."

"Sweet!" said Lianne, pumping her fist. The boys looked relatively excited.

As she left, Kelly didn't notice Gina's pale face.


	11. Chapter 11

Gina sat in the gift shop that waited for visitors at the end of the London Dungeon tour. Her eyes were red and her breathing shaky. Kendall walked up to her and handed her a bottle of water.

"Thanks," she said.

"No worries." Kendall sat down next to her.

"You didn't have to come sit with me, you know. You could have finished the tour."

He shook his head. "I would've felt bad. The others only stayed at my insistence." Gina didn't reply, taking a sip of her water. "I just wanted to make sure you'd be okay, you kinda scared me," he admitted.

Gina looked at him. "You and the rest of the group." She shrugged. "Sorry, though. I was hoping _not_ to have a panic attack."

"You did well," Kendall said, then added "until Sweeney Todd" at Gina's glare.

"Thanks for looking after me," said Gina quietly after a short pause.

Kendall smiled and put his arm around her, pulling her close for a hug. "You're welcome." Gina looked up at him, gave a shaky smile, then leaned into his embrace. They stayed like that for a while, until they heard the doors to the shop open and admit their group from the tour. Kendall hastily removed his arm from her shoulders and Gina reluctantly sat up.

Lianne ran up to Gina straight away. "Are you okay?" she asked. "I'm sorry, I totally forgot about your reaction to stuff like that."

"Lianne, calm down, I'm fine." The other three members of BTR stood around awkwardly, but they looked relieved to see Gina alright. She looked at them and said, "Sorry if I scared you guys, by the way." They quickly assured her that they weren't scared, making her giggle.

After making sure she was okay, the six of them decided to have a look around the shop at the stupidly expensive merchandise.

"So," Lianne whispered expectantly to Gina as the two of them browsed the stationery together.

"So?"

"Did you guys kiss?"

Gina laughed. "No. But there was a sweet moment where he put his arm around me and hugged me." She squealed quietly, her fangirl side coming out, but she quickly calmed herself before the boys noticed. "What about you and James? How's that going?"

Lianne shrugged. "I think he just sees me as another fangirl."

"I doubt that," Gina said, rolling her eyes. "He was totally checking you out all through dinner last night."

Lianne looked hopeful. "Really?"

"I wouldn't lie to you, bestie."

That simple comment kept Lianne in a perky mood the rest of the day. After deciding that the gift shop was too expensive to buy anything from, the six of them agreed that they should go get some lunch, as it had just passed noon.

They wandered around London for a bit before deciding that a Pizza Hut would be suitable for their hunger. They entered the restaurant and were taken to a table near the back.

"I think that waiter recognised who you guys were," commented Lianne, looking back at where he'd gone. She was sitting between James and Carlos, while Gina was between Kendall and Logan.

"Yeah?" asked Carlos.

"I don't think he's a fan, but he knows you, which is why he brought us back here, where we can't really be seen. He respects your privacy."

"That's kinda cool," said Carlos absently, perusing the menu.

"I'm going to go get some unlimited salad," Gina announced, picking up her bowl and poking Logan to move quicker. He slid off the seat and let her go, sitting down again as she disappeared.

"I might go get some as well, actually." Logan picked up his own bowl and went after Gina. Carlos, James and Lianne were all in agreement, and the three of them left Kendall to look after the table.

Gina returned a few moments later, her bowl almost filled with carrot strips. "Good of them to abandon you," she mused, sliding back to her seat next to him. "You not getting any?"

Kendall shrugged. "Nah. I just figured I could nick stuff of everyone else." Gina giggled. "Besides, they don't really have a lot here I like."

"Fair enough."

They sat in silence for a moment, Gina nibbling away at some of her carrot strips, when she was suddenly aware of a presence on her knee. She looked beneath the table to find Kendall's hand resting there. Her face warmed as she blushed, and she opened her mouth to ask him about it, but that also happened to be the time that Logan and Carlos returned with their own salads.

"You decided what you want yet?" Logan asked Kendall.

"Not yet. I was thinking it might be easier if we all shared though, like a pizza between two."

"It'd be cheaper as well," added Logan thoughtfully, nodding.

"As long as I get a meat feast, I'm happy," said Carlos.

Then Lianne and James returned, arguing amiably about the nutritional value of vegetables.


End file.
